Re: [Rollei] Lens names

[Richard Knoppow <dickburk >]

At 07:02 PM 11/23/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>Hello,
>
>why do the names of lenses or lens groups finish by R (Tessar, Sonnar,
>Sekkor, Nikor...)?
>Sorry for possible OT posting.
>
>Jose Royo
>Logrono
>Spain
>
>
   Many lenses have names ending in "ar" or "tar" but many do not. I am not
sure what the origin of this is. The "at" ending somtimes found is from
Anastigmat". Many lenses have names made up of Latin or Greek roots,
sometimes a mixture of both. 
   Tessar comes from its having four elements. Sonnar means "like the sun"
meaning a bright image. Other lens names often indicate some property the
lens is supposed to have such as Planar (flat field) Rapid Rectilinear,
meaning no geometrical distortion and a fast lens (f/8 was fast in 1866),
Orthometar (correct measurement) originally an aerial mapping lens. Many
Zeiss lenses are named this way. Gon endings (Biogon) usually indicate a
wide angle lens, gon coming from a root for angle. 
  Some lenses are named after the manufacturer. Dagor means Dopple
Anastigmat- Goerz. Kodak Ektar is simply Eastman Kodak + tar.
  Boyer, an old French company, named their lenses after jewells, i.e.,
Saphir, Topaz, etc. 
  Some companies, Canon for example, don't name specific lenses, they are
all just Canon Lens. 
- ----
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk  

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